


Skill Tree

by Klouh



Series: Writing Prompts [1]
Category: No Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klouh/pseuds/Klouh
Summary: Everyone has a skill tree in life, when you turn eighteen you unlock the ability to view your skill tree and spend fifty points. You can also get points in specific traits by doing activities related to it. When you turn eighteen you find out you have one thousand points in a specific skill.





	Skill Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Skill tree prompt](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/371019) by Prompt Guy. 



> This is maybe not a work made for AO3, but I wanted to post it somewhere it would be easier for me to find it.  
> This is based on a prompt from https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com (the prompt is the summary)
> 
> (if you ever come up with a best title for this fic, please PLEASE help a friend in need)

Tomorrow's my eighteen birthday. Like everyone at that age, I can't wait. A lot of people have shared their trees online, and I talked about it with my family, so I know what skill are frequent, and that there is some divided skills, which made the whole thing a lot more complicated. For example my big brother liked to cook a lot. So he got the skill "cooking" in his tree, and linked to it the skill "pastry". My dad just have the basic "cooking" skill. Some talented chef even got a specific branch like "chocolate cake" or something. Not to mention the athletes... The "sport" branch are so diverse. I know I'll have a few points already, I guess in skills like litterature, maths, physics, maybe empathy but probably zero in "anger managment" if that's a thing.

I spend my entire day thinking about my future skill. I've made so many plans, so many hypothesis about where I'll put my 50 points. I thought that if I can I'll put a few in "resistance to lack of sleep" because I rather be awake more than my usual 10 hours a day. I'll put also some in "resistance to pain" because I rather not spend a whole week in bed every month. Sadly, I don't know if I'll got those skills, if they simply does exist. Possibly I'll unlock those later, but I will never have so many points to assign at once. I also have to be carefull, we all heard about that boy who put all his points into "healing" but none in any academic skills so he never succeed in medical school and never became the doctor he dreamt to be.

Anyway, I spend the day at school not knowing what I do. I know that state for I have watched some friends expercienced it. I also know that the younger people but also the one that went there are laughing at me the way I laughed before. But lately I haven't 'cause as the day passed, I knew it will be my turn soon.

Now I'm in my bed, unable to sleep for once. Tomorrow I can stay at home if I want, so I can calmly assign my skills. We only have 24 jours to do so, so we're allowed to skip whatever plan we have the day we turn eighteen.

It's almost midnight now. I can't take my eyes off of the clock.

11:59.

00:00.

Something weird appear in my view field. I've heard description of it, even pictures, but it's so weird to actually see it... I know where the programers got their ideas, because I kinda see a computer menu in front of my eyes. There'e a big 50 on top of it. That's the number of points I get to assign this time. I read the menu slowly, I've got time and I don't want to panic. I see that I can display all the skills that exists, but now's not the time. I don't want to dream about putting 50 points into a category I don't have yet. I'll do that later. I find the option I want. I display the skills I've got and those I can put points in.

The first page is shown. It's "walking". Obviously. I knew that. The firsts skills are always walking, talking, that kind of stuff. I see at the bottom that it's the first page out of 51. Here we go. I've got the maximum points one can assign in the first pages, reading, talking, writing... The points already assigned are blue. After that it's more interesting. As expected, I've got a few points in pastry as my brother taught me stuff. Litterature, swimming surprisingly, biking of course. I already got more points that I thought in french and spanish, I'm kinda proud. There is also some pages I've got zero points in, but I can put some in it. Like drawing, I'm happy about that ! I put a few points in the category I'd like to improve, but I don't validate anything, I'll do that later when I'm sure of every points. The not-validate points are in orange. A few pages later the colour of the background changes from a light green to a pale red, almost pink. I know that means I enter the part with more "emotional" skills. The tricky part.

I've got in lot in "empathy", I was right, a lot in "patience" too, probably thanks to my big brother and his not-so-funny jokes when i was a kid. My "humor" skill has a few branches, and I've got my fair share of point in "dark humour". I also plan to add a few points in that "prank hability" I just saw. My brother will never see that coming.

I see the category I expected, kindness, optimism, stuff like that. I'm disappointed in myself, I only have one point in "courage"... I've got some skills I'm below zero at, like cruelty. I'm relieved, I've heard a story about a nice guy who discover he already had 15 points in "wickedness", even if I think it's just a scary story.

Finally, I reach the 50th page ; it's "teaching" and I've got zero points in it, no surprise. Only one skill left. I don't know why my heart is racing so fast, I don't expect anything special or rare, I'm just a girl...

I turn the page. I don't understand. The whole scale has change because of the numbers of points in it. The points are in orange instead of blue, and I see the number on top of the bar : +1000. I really don't understand. No one ever got so many points, even in total, even in a life time. And I got that, in one skill. It's obviously not validated or I would be a genius in something ! I search for the label, and I feel my heart stop.

Two minutes later I rush into my brother bedroom, waking him up.

\- Oh come on, sis, couldn't you wait until morning to tell me what you're gonna be awesome at ?

I can't answer, I start to cry. As he hears it, he turns on his light. I go straight for his arms and cry like I'm five again. I finally explain everything to him.

\- And, and, you know, once I validate I won't be able to undo anything, and and I tried to take off those points but I can't I can't I can't edit anything in that category what will I do-

\- Easy sis, shut your mouth and calm down. I know all of that, I've been there. Calm down now. There. Now, what is that skill you're so terrifided about ?

As I tell him, he turns pale.

He stay silent for a while, then he got up, turns on his computer and makes me sit in front of it.

\- Write down every skill and points you already have, and every category you unlock. I'll made some coffee.

 

*********

 

At six, we heard Dad waking up and geting ready for work. I manage to face him with excitement, and I can see the pride in his eyes. I don't want to dissappoint him earlier than I have to. At 8, my brother's alarm rings. He turns it off and calls in sick.

We spend every hours we can working on my skill tree. We agree very soon that I'll just be an average girl, without anything special, because I HAVE to cancel the effect that this skill will have on me. My brother swore to me that he'll always be there for me at least 3 time since I woke him up.

When our dad got home, he understands that something is wrong, and offers help. I tell him that we'll managed, with a thank you and a smile. I'm sure he's not fooled, but he lets us work. He even brings us pizza for dinner.

At eleven, finally, our battle plan is ready. We went through every options, we thought about each and every point I can place, and already made plan for what I'll have to work on in the future.

I carefully put my points according to the sheet we made. My brother is looking at me, worried. We both know that we'll spend our lives together now, I didn't wanted to impose myself to him but he didn't give me any choice. I'll need constant supervision and protection. I already kinda hope I'll find a way to escape him, so he'll be able to just live his life.

Before I validate, I run into my father's room, waking him up too, hugging him so tight and saying that I'll love him for ever. Now he's worried. I don't want to end things like this so I take him into my brother's room. I don't want to explain so I just say that I want him to be there when I validate my points. He seemed worried too, now... I can't tell him that that's the last time I'll probably be able to speak to him...

I check once again my skills. I have put my 50 new points into "courage", "self preservation" (yes, that's something...), and "trust".

I take the hands of my brother and my father. I squeeze them very hard and I validate.

 

*********

 

I'm old now. I'm alone in the dark, it's too early for anyone to be up. I'm tired. The good way. Like after a nice day of work, expect that day lasts a lifetime. I never left my brother's side. He's the only one that understands. He found an awesome girl and marry her, and they had kids, who had kids too. I never could touch them. We spend every free minutes we had to work on my skills, to improve my bravery, and my trust in others. That involved a lot of attempts to jump of a cliff, to drive fasts cars. Usualy it tooks me months before succeeding such a thing. I wrote a lot of stuff to. Then I had to try not to burn it down. Then I had to let my brother read it. He tried to make me publish something online. I only succeed last year and it was just a two lines commentary about a good book I've read. We never checked, but I think I'm the person who acquired the most points in my lifetime. I had to. My brother's constant surveillance saved my life more than once, but I needed to became better so he could be freeer.

Yesterday, for the first time of my life since I turned eighteen, I went out and saw other people. It was a long walk for me, five whole minutes. It felt good, yet terrifing.

 

*********

 

I get up, take a paper, and write a letter to my brother. He's very old too now, his wife has to help him read now. That's good, she helped me so much too, she'll need to read that. I open my tree skill inside my head. I write down every skill and every points I have in each category. I'm above one hundred and fifty in "courage", and that is a lot. My "trust" skill has evolved many years ago, divided into "trust in my bother" (more than two hundred points), "trust in my father" (thirty-two points, he sadly died young so that skill didn't grow), "trust into my sister-in-law", etc.

I write a few things more, like how much I love them, how much I love their kids and grandkids and how much I regret never having been able to take them into my arms.

I write a simple thank you to end my letter. It takes every courage I have to not destroy that letter. I resist the urge. It is important no matter how silly I found it.

Finally I draw a bar, just like the skill bars we all have.

And I take a blue pen, and I carefully draw 86 points. My age.

 

*********

 

I never thought I'll live that long. At least not that night, when I just turned eighteen and discovered that I've got a myterious thousand points in a category I never heard about.

"Low self estim".


End file.
